The abstract art of celtas

Outlandish Imitations of estateras and tetradracmas

Celtas of the Galia began to coin currency between end of century IV and the beginning of III BC, thus giving beginning to a productionmonetal practically of imitation in its totality, inspired by the pieces known in the interchanges through the Mediterranean andport of Massalia (present Marseilles) in the West, and by the valley of the Danube in the East. In century II BC, also celtas of Europepower station began to coin currencies, imitating those of Lisímaco of Thrace, Larisa or Thasos.Deeply unstable and instinctive in their social and military organization, the Gauls (or celtas) also transmitted to their currencies a rateirrational, an abstraction far distant of the productions of the Greek numerario to which, on the other hand, they were sent directly. currencies that surely knew celtas through commerce were the estateras of gold and tetradracmas of Filipo II and AlexanderMagno, the universal currency of then. In one second stage, the types object of imitation were the Romans.Whereas the Greek currency is inspired by a harmonic balance, in a refined naturalismo in the representation of the human figure, ofworld animal and of the vegetable, the Barbarians disturb this universe, reducing it which only distantly the spirit remembers andiconography original. The degeneration of the types, dictated by a rupturista fantasy and a defendant tendency towards the abstraction andthe ornamentales reasons, lead to an alteration of the form and an eccentric esquematización of the figurative elements.If to celtas they needed a culture of the currency, certainly they did not need precious metals:the gold deposits of the Rin, ofthe Pyrenees and of the Alps, filones of silver of the Tarn and the Auvernia, and the tin of Britain provided sufficient raw material stopsto coin currencies destined to the commercial interchanges. In the production celta is rather frequent the electron. !>

Altered Characteristics of classic models

The currencies celtas, apparently poor as soon as that does not have authentic originality, is rich in fantasy, is full of life andthey are unmistakable; between the towns that lived the vast céltico territory very was spread the type that represents in the obversea head, created on the model of the pictures of Alexander Magno, and who in general represents the head of the tribe; and in reversohorse (favorite animal in the Gallic tipología), sometimes single and sometimes guided by auriga. Let us examine a estatera of gold ofbeginnings of century II to, C. coming from the region of present Britain: the obverse still presents/displays a face modeled in accordance withorganic proportions, although - what the profile constitutes a frequent enough anomaly in the Gallic currencies in general is not welltrim and redondel is too small for the figure that locks up. It turns out interesting to observe how have reproduced the hair,now streamlined with decorative reasons, waves, forms that remember geometric reasons more related to the world forplants that with a faithful reflection of the reality. In reverso, the figure of the horse androcéfalo (that is, with human head) occupies a partmodest of the space del that arranges, whereas, and this one is an element very fre counts, the field is occupied by figurationsschematic minors who can be constituted by geometric signs, wheels, stars and figures of diverse nature and greatvariety.Also they are very interesting the currency of the parisios, inhabitants of the region gift (today is Paris. Also in this case it arrives untiledge of redondel the head whose profile is disturbed in synthetic forms, of great expressive force and of refined decorative taste. The eyesight front, exaggerated opened, characterizes east profile that takes in front of the neck a barquita, symbol of the city and ofnautae parisiaci, small dealers who dedicated themselves to the fluvial commerce. It means that in the currencies part was reflected ofreality indigenous and more properly local, enriching them with a new documentary value. Also the horse of reverso deserves oneobservation: one is a very streamlined animal, all a concession to the decorative and barely faithful taste to the naturalismo.The reason for the eye very extended is exaggerated until the point to become the only anthropomorphous element that lasts in some currencies ofzone of central Europe: this figure remembers the model so little del that it comes, that is a human face, that some have tried to see inshe them symbols of a local cult, but without reaching any certain conclusion.Also it is possible to be spoken, immediately, of total decomposition of the human figure in currencies of the belovacos, established in Belgium. In themthe force of the abstraction is almost disgregadora, and few elements stay you identified: the eye is distinguished, whereas in the placeof the ear a star is placed. The calls currencies de la Cruz imitate reverso of the Rock currencies. They come from the valley ofTarn, in southern France, and that present type extended to the western Languedoc and Rosellón, although in these regions it imaginesa Vista flower from above, with truely peculiar a iconográfico criterion: in the obverse they present/display a feminine profile that rememberscurrencies of Siracusa, known by these towns thanks to another imitation, the one of Rhode, Rhodian colony in the gulf of Roses (Gerona). Thismonetal production today deserves that its dignity is recognized and that becomes object of studies and attention, rejecting the old considerationof which they belonged to a little while in the history of the currency that could be ignored.